UFC 232 Moves to California Following Jon Jones Test Findings

On less than a week’s notice, UFC 232 has moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, with a Jon Jones drug test being the motivating factor.

MMA Junkie has the full report on UFC 232 here. USADA’s statement on Jon Jones’ drug test can be found here.

On December 9, USADA revealed to the UFC that Jon Jones had minor traces of a metabolite of turinabol in his system, which is the anabolic steroid Jones tested positive for in 2017. With that knowledge, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) determined that they would not have enough time to conduct an investigation into Jones before Saturday’s event. Wanting to keep Jones on the card, the UFC looked to California, who subjected Jones to a random urine test, which he passed. With California licensing Jones to compete on Saturday, the event has moved to The Forum in Los Angeles.

According to USADA, Jones did not test positive for any other metabolite of turinabol, or for the parent drug itself. This led to the decision to not sanction Jones for this test failure. They also emphasized how little of an amount of the drug was found, but Tom Lawlor made it clear that that hasn’t stopped USADA from laying down the law in the past.

Speaking with Cageside Press, a representative from USADA stated: “The key here really is the residual amount remaining in his system. Think of it as double jeopardy. There was no violation since he’s already been sanctioned for taking a banned substance and there is no evidence of re-administration. ”

Longtime rival of Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, made his thoughts on the situation clear.

Other fighters on the card were not aware of the situation, as evidenced by Megan Anderson on Twitter. They will still be traveling to Las Vegas, then will be transported to California according to MMA Junkie’s John Morgan.

As for fans who wanted to attend the event, full refunds will be offered, but of course, that doesn’t take travel and lodging into consideration.

UFC 232 carries on with the same personnel, featuring Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson in the main event, and Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes in the co-main. Except now it’s a bit more out west.

Danny is a 2017 graduate of Ithaca College's Sport Media program. He has been an avid fan of mixed martial arts since watching the UFC’s 100 Greatest Fights special on Spike TV back in 2009. Shortly following UFC 100, Danny’s Saturdays, and most of his free time, became dedicated to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Most recently, Danny served as the Media Relations and Broadcasting Assistant of the Long Island Ducks baseball team and is looking to make his next step in his broadcasting career. Along with fellow Cageside Press writer Heath Harshman, Danny hosts a weekly MMA podcast, Throwin' Elbows MMA.